Mailing piece



Sept- 6, 1 5 1 J. HILLMAN 11 3,270,949

MAILING PIECE Filed March 1, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. JOEL HI L LNIAN J1 yw y/5&

ATTORNEYS J. HILLMAN l l Sept. 6, 1966 MAILING PIECE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 1, 1965 ha 3 won 213 20 Ea 232i 3 In 33 INVENTOR. JOEL HILLMAN II ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,270,949 MAILING PIECE Joel Hillman II, New York, N.Y., assignor to Tension Envelope Corporation, Kansas City, Mo., a corporation of Delaware Filed Mar. 1, 1965, Ser. No. 435,955 2 Claims. (Cl. 229-92.1)

are fastened in a magazine and the return mailer portion detached from the advertising copy and utilized as an envelope or sealed container. Such mailing pieces when attached to magazines must conform to various postal regulations.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a mailing piece which includes a return mailer portion which may 'be formed into a sealed envelope or container.

Other objects of the present invention are to provide a mailing piece having an advertising copy portion and a return mailer portion wherein the return mailer portion carries adhesive for sealing the envelope and wherein the advertising copy is engaged between mating faces of the adhesive to prevent sticking of the adhesive until the envelope is formed; to provide a mailing piece having multiple folds including a portion to be detached when the envelope is to be formed; to provide a mailing portion provided with adhesive which may be made into an envelope and which may be stacked, stored or mailed in folded position without adherence of the adhesive but which may be readily converted into an envelope when desired.

Still further objects of the present invention are to provide a mailing piece made of a single sheet of paper having end panels and an intermediate panel and one face of one of the end panels and the intermediate panel having adhesive adjacent edge portions thereof, said one end panel being folded over the intermediate panel to form an envelope and said other end panel being fold-able over the intermediate panel in the first instance to prevent sealing of the first end panel to the intermediate panel and wherein the other end panel is removable so that the first end panel may be sealed to the intermediate panel to form. an envelope; to provide a mailing piece formed from a single sheet of material having an envelope portion and an advertising copy portion, said advertising copy portion being detachable from the mailing portion and said sheet having a transverse fold line and said envelope portion being folded on said line to form an envelope and one face of said envelope portion carrying adhesive adjacent edges thereof and said advertising copy being foldable over the adhesive to prevent sealing thereof until the advertising copy is removed so that the envelope may be formed and wherein the sheet is foldable on said transverse line in either directionv after the advertising copy portion is folded over the envelope portion; to provide an envelope portion of a mailing piece of this character wherein one side of the envelope portion carries an address; to provide an envelope portion of this character wherein coins or other objects may be placed on one face of the envelope portion within the adhesive portion thereof and the other portion within the adhesive may contain the name and address of the sender; and to provide a device of this character simple and economical to manufacture.

I 3,270,949 Patented Sept. 6, 1966 nricg Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein are set forth by way of illustration and example certain embodiments of this invention.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the mailing piece shown in folded position.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the mailing piece with one end panel in open position and illustrating .the advertising copy portion.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the mailing piece in open position, particularly illustrating the advertising copy portion partly detached.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the envelope formed by the envelope portion after the advertising copy portion is detached.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the mailing piece shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view, particularly illustrating the coin in the envelope after folding and sealing as shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a modified form of mailing piece shown in folded position.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the mailing piece shown in FIG. 7 in the first unfolded position.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of the mailing piece, particularly illustrating the envelope portion and the advertising copy portion with the advertising copy portion partly detached therefrom.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the envelope portion in formed position with parts. broken away to illustrate the adhesive thereof.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the mailing piece shown in FIG. 7.

FIG. 12 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the mailing piece shown in its folded position shown in FIG. 7.

line 5 which also serves as a fold line when the sheet is folded in the position as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5,

although a fold line alone may serve the same purpose. The mailing piece includes end panels 6 and 7 and an intermediate panel 8. The panel 6 provides space for the advertising copy material as indicated at 7 and, if desired, may be on both sides of said copy portion.

The end panel 7 and intermediate panel 8 have adhesive as indicated at 9 and 10 on adjacent edge portions of the faces 11 and 12 thereof and the face 11 also includes instructions for use as indicated at 13 and a place for a coin or other article as indicated at 14. The face 12 of the end panel 7 includes a place for the name and address of the sender of the envelope after it is formed as later described. The face 15 opposite of the face 11 of the intermediate portion 8 has the name of the addressee as indicated at 16 and the place for the stamp as indicated at 17.

The adhesive used in the mailing piece is self-sealing and usually consists of a latex material well known in the envelope art and sometimes referred to as a pressure sensitive adhesive and also as a dry sealing adhesive. The characteristic of the adhesive is that two strips of it when brought together will stick to one another but neither will stick to any other object such as paper.

Therefore, the purpose of the advertising copy portion 6 is to lie between the faces of the adhesive on the end panel 7 and intermediate panel 8 when the mailing piece is in folded position as shown in FIG. 1 and when in this position the mailing piece may be stored in-folded position or mailed in an envelope or other means to a person who might be interested in the articles advertised on the advertising copy portion. When such recipient receives the mailing piece in folded position, he will unfold it by raising the end panel 7 and then will remove the advertising copy along the perforated line as shown in FIG. 3 and then fold the envelope portion 2 on the fold line 4, whereby the adhesive will attach itself together to form an envelope as shown in FIG. 4. Before the actual sealing occurs, coins or other material as indicated at 14 may be placed on the intermediate portion. The envelope after sealing is then ready for return mailing to the addressee as shown in FIG. 4.

In FIGS. 7 to 13 inclusive I have shown another form of mailing piece indicated at having a return mailer portion 21 and an advertising copy portion 22.. The mailing piece is made of a single sheet of material such as paper and generally of rectangular shape, having a transverse fold line 23 and a longitudinal perforated line 24 which also serves as a fold line. Both sides of the advertising copy portion may be utilized for advertising or messages if desired.

The return mailer portion 21 consists of panels 25 and 26 adapted to be folded on the transverse line 23. The faces 27 and 28 of the panels 25 and 26 are provided with adhesive adjacent edge portions thereof as indicated at 29 and 30. The face 27 of the portion 25 includes instructions and the indication for the coin as indicated at 31 and the face 28 of the portion 26 indicates the name and address of the sender of the envelope. The face 32 of the return mailer portion 21 carries the name of the addresses as indicated at 33 and the place for a stamp as indicated at 34.

In folding the mailing piece 20, it is first folded on the perforated line 24 so that the advertising copy portion 22 will lie over the adhesive portions 29 and of the mailing piece or envelope portion and segregate the adhesive to prevent sticking thereof. The sheet is then folded on the transverse line 23 to the position shown in FIG. 7 thereby dividing the sheet into four sections. This may be folded in either direction depending on where the advertising copy appears and the name of the addresses as shown in FIG. 10.

When in the folded condition the mailing piece may be stored until desired to be mailed or sent to a customer or person interested in the goods advertised and may be sent in an envelope or other enclosure as desired, sometimes referred to as direct mailing. When the customer receives the folded mailing piece, he unfolds the same and removes the advertising copy on the dotted line 24 and then folds the mailing piece or envelope portion on the line 23 and the adhesive being the dry, self-sealing type as previously indicated, Will adhere'to itself and seal the envelope for mailing.

It will be obvious from the foregoing that I have provided a mailing piece which includes an envelope or mailing piece and an advertising piece, whereby the advertising piece is folded between the adhesive on the envelope or mailing piece until the mailing piece is desired to be sealed into an envelope. 7

It is to be understood that while I have illustrated and described one form of my invention, it is not to be limited to the specific form or arrangement of parts herein described and shown except insofar as such limitations are included in the claims.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An envelope blank comprising three similar rectangular panels secured together in series by integral fold lines, and wherein only one of said fold lines is perforated, the two panels secured togetherby said other fold line being like panels, one of said like panels'having pressure sensitive adhesive arranged thereon adjacent the perforated edge, and the other like panel having a matching arrangement of pressure sensitive adhesive thereon adjacent the free edge thereof, the said adhesive adjacent the perforated line extending inwardly toward the other fold line a predetermined distance, and the third similar panel hinged along said perforated line having a width at least equal to said predetermined distance whereby when it is desired to fold said like panels together, said third panel may be folded therebetween and overlie said adhesive.

2. A mailing piece comprising a blank having at least three like panels secured together by integral fold lines, only one of said fold lines being perforated, two of said like panels being secured together by an unperforated fold line; each of said last named panels having U-shaped strips of pressure sensitive adhesive with the ends of the U-shaped strips terminating adjacent said unperforated fold line and in matching relation to one another when said panels are folded along said unperforated fold line in face contacting relation; and said blank when folded along, first said perforated fold line and then along said unperforated fold line, forming at least a three ply mailing piece.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,873,907 2/1959 Loetscher 229-92.1 2,910,222 10/1959 Bermingham 229-73 2,950,045 8/1960 Martin 229-923 3,159,329 12/ 1964 Hiersteiner 229-68 3,187,988 6/1965 Geller 22992..9

JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner. GEORGE O. RALSTON, Examiner.

D. M. BOCKENEK, Assistant Examiner. 

2. A MAILING PIECE COMPRISING A BLANK HAVING AT LEAST THREE LIKE PANELS SECURED TOGETHER BY INTEGRAL FOLD LINES, ONLY ONE OF SAID FOLD LINES BEING PERFORATED, TWO OF SAID LIKE PANELS BEING SECURED TOGETHER BY AN UNPERFORATED FOLD LINE; EACH OF SAID LAST NAMED PANELS HAVING U-SHAPED STRIPS OF PRESSURE SENSITIVE ADHESIVE WITH THE ENDS OF THE U-SHAPED STRIPS TERMINATING ADJACENT SAID UNPERFORATED FOLD LINE AND IN MATCHING RELATION TO ONE ANOTHER WHEN SAID PANELS ARE FOLDED ALONG SAID UNPERFORATED FOLD LINE IN FACE CONTACTING RELATION; AND SAID BLANK WHEN FOLDED 